Toronto’s Roy St. John, a longtime figure in Canadian real estate, has died at age 77.
He passed away of natural causes on Oct. 17. He and his wife lived in Barrie for the last two years.
St. John, who forged a path in real estate as a trainer before venturing into entrepreneurship, “will be remembered by thousands of agents across Canada for his leadership and his professionalism to our industry,” said his longtime business partner Jamie Johnston.
When the pair met 40 years ago, St. John was the national trainer for Royal LePage.
“I was trying to hire a National Trainer for Canada Trust. I phoned Roy who was already the preeminent trainer in Canda for a recommendation for someone to interview,” said Johnston. “He said ‘Why not me?’”
After Canada Trust, they worked together at Employee Relocation Services to set up the first federal government contract to relocate military personnel across Canada and to relocate troops from Europe.
They then started Family Realty and Family Mortgage together, where St. Roy was the senior VP. They built the business from 16 offices to over 60.
Their final venture together was at Re/Max Condos Plus, where St. John was the VP, branch manager and head of training.
“He was also a great salesperson who shared his knowledge to all,” said Johnston.
Roy leaves behind his wife Debi, two children and four grandchildren.
